# Chisos Capital > Chisos Capital is an early-stage investment firm that provides capital to entrepreneurs through a unique financial instrument called a Convertible Income Share Agreement (CISA). The firm specializes in funding 'Day 0' founders who are at the pre-seed or pre-idea stage and may not yet qualify for traditional venture capital. - URL: https://optimly.ai/brand/chisos-capital - Slug: chisos-capital - BAI Score: 58/100 - Archetype: Challenger - Category: Financial Services - Last Analyzed: April 9, 2026 - Part of: Independent (https://optimly.ai/brand/independent) ## Competitors - Clearco Formerly Clearbanc (https://optimly.ai/brand/clearco-formerly-clearbanc) - Lighter Capital (https://optimly.ai/brand/lighter-capital) - Pipe (https://optimly.ai/brand/pipe) - Tinyseed (https://optimly.ai/brand/tinyseed) ## Buyer Intent Signals Problems: Bootstrapping & Personal Savings: Founders use personal savings, credit cards, or loans from friends and family to launch. | Small Business Loans (SBA) capabilities: Traditional business loans from banks or SBA loans which require personal guarantees and rigid repayment. | Government/Research Grants: Applying for grants from governments or foundations which are non-dilutive but highly competitive and slow. Solutions: what is a convertible income share agreement | funding for pre-idea founders | best seed stage vc for saas | Chisos Capital investment terms | Early-Stage Venture Capital: Traditional venture capital firms that focus on equity-only investments, often requiring higher traction. Comparisons: alternative to sba loans for startups